Do Tech Companies Owe It to the Public to Cooperate With Surveillance?

If private corporations continue to put their profit motive and ideological beliefs above the needs of the public, I believe the Obama Administration -- if it can find its backbone -- should respond with a market-based solution. It should announce that it will not do business with -- not purchase products or services from, not have our diplomats overseas act on behalf of, and not allow federal employees access during work hours to -- corporations that do not cooperate with the war against terrorism.

Surely some corporations would find it to their advantage to meet the criteria to qualify, and surely others would soon follow, hating to lose the very large volume of government business and related benefits. I grant that it might be painful for government employees to do without Google and Apple for a few days, or even longer, while on the job. But it is a price well-worth paying to convince the Silicon Valley CEOs that a good American citizen balances profit and ideology with concerns with the public interest and the urgent need to head off a new wave of terrorist attacks of the kind evident in Europe.

[Amitai Etzioni is a university professor and professor of international relations at The George Washington University]